# Electronica 24: Dirk Stans on Navigating the European Electronics Industry with Innovation and Collaboration

- Show: [EMS@C-LEVEL](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level)
- Published: 2024-12-17
- Length: 10m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i

## Summary

Dirk Stans, President of Eurocircuits, explains how his company navigates 2024's geopolitical shifts by focusing on a 'data-first' strategy and digital twins to achieve right-first-time manufacturing. He contrasts the struggles of mass production with the robust growth of Eurocircuits' prototype assembly business, which has grown over 30% as designers outsource manual work. Stans also discusses his role in lobbying for European industrial policy, emphasizing the urgent need for a unified EU response to global challenges and addressing the critical shortage of skilled workers in Flanders and Germany.

## Chapters

- [0:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i#t=8) Introduction: Dirk Stans and Eurocircuits at Electronica 24
- [0:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i#t=35) 2024 Industry Performance: Prototypes vs. Mass Production
- [2:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i#t=136) Eurocircuits' 30% Growth and Digital Twin Strategy
- [4:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i#t=253) Lobbying Roles: Electronics Federation and FHI
- [5:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i#t=333) Data-First Approach and AI as a Tool
- [7:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i#t=436) European Industrial Policy and Workforce Shortages

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Eurocircuits (company)
- IPC (company)
- Electronics Federation (company)
- FHI (company)
- Budapest Declaration (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#007 - How one company wants to radically cut down the lead-time of electronics manufacturing of all volumes, with Radu Diaconescu of Swie.io, Switzerland](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-01-04-007-how-one-company-wants-to-radically-cut-down-the-lead-time-of-electronics-man) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [CircuitHub, 12 Years Later with Andrew Seddon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2025-08-01-circuithub-12-years-later-with-andrew-seddon) (The Amp Hour)
- [SpaceX, Enclosures & Startups - Urging Unemployment Ullagone](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-04-spacex-enclosures-startups-urging-unemployment-ullagone) (The Amp Hour)
- [The Future of PCB Manufacturing: Tariffs, Supply Chains & More](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-04-18-the-future-of-pcb-manufacturing-tariffs-supply-chains-more) (OnTrack)
- [Return of the Trade Show Jedi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-04-11-return-of-the-trade-show-jedi) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-17-electronica-24-dirk-stans-on-navigating-the-european-electronics-industry-with-i. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to EMS@C-LEVEL.